Advertisement allocation

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for allocating and providing advertisements in response to impression events (e.g., a request for a placement of an advertisement) corresponding to forecasted impressions (e.g., a forecast of a request for a placement of an advertisement). The advertisements are allocated according to solution data that includes two disjoint solution sets, with each solution set identifying an advertisement that can be allocated to a forecasted impression.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Patent Application No. 61/180,585, titled “ADVERTISEMENT ALLOCATION,”filed May 22, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to online advertising.

Advertisement delivery providers facilitate the presentation ofadvertisements from numerous advertisers on network resources (e.g., webpages). In general, an advertisement delivery provider routinelyservices the same network resources. Thus the advertisement deliveryprovider is aware of the advertisement traffic on those networkresources. Advertisement delivery providers can utilize knownadvertisement traffic data to forecast advertisement traffic (e.g.,demand for advertisements) on the network resources for a future timeperiod.

SUMMARY

In general, the subject matter of this specification relates to systemsand methods for allocating advertisements. One aspect of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be embodied in a methodincluding identifying forecasting data defining forecasted impressionsfor a given time period; identifying advertisements available to beprovided during the time period; generating solution data having a firstsolution set for associating the advertisements with the forecastedimpressions and a second solution set for associating the advertisementswith the forecasted impressions, the first and second solution sets aredisjoint solution sets where the first and second solution sets do nothave any common advertisement and forecasted impression associations;for each of the forecasted impressions, identifying a firstadvertisement associated with the forecasted impression from the firstsolution set and a second advertisement associated with the forecastedimpression from second solution set; and providing the firstadvertisement or second advertisement for an associated forecastedimpression in response to an impression event corresponding to theassociated forecasted impression. Other embodiments of this aspectinclude corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of thesubject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings,and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example graph representing solution data for allocatingadvertisements to forecasted impressions.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example environment in which anadvertisement allocation system can be implemented.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example process for providingadvertisements in response to impression events based on forecastingdata and advertisement availability data.

FIG. 4 is an example graph relating advertisements to forecastedimpressions.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example process for generating solutiondata.

FIG. 6 is an example graph depicting nodes and edges for use ingenerating the solution data.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example process for identifying the firstand second solution sets.

FIGS. 8A-8D are graphs depicting example cycles and paths.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an example process for providingadvertisements in response to an impression event.

FIG. 10 is block diagram of an example computer system.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, the subject matter of this specification relates toallocating advertisements to forecasted impressions according tosolution data that include sets of allocation solutions that aredisjoint to each other. A forecasted impression is a forecast of animpression event during a future time period. Thus the solution data canbe used to determine or guide the decisions as to which advertisementsto allocate to impression events, corresponding to the forecastedimpressions, as the impression events occur during the future timeperiod. For example, the solution data may include two solution sets. Assuch, for each forecasted impression, the solution data provide twoadvertisements that can be allocated to (selectable for) the forecastedimpression—one advertisement from a first solution set and oneadvertisement allocated from a second solution set. Generally, theallocation of the advertisement from the first solution set is used toselect an advertisement in response to a corresponding impression event.However, if the advertisement has already been selected for a previousimpression event, then the allocation of the advertisement from thesecond solution set can be used to select an advertisement for theimpression event.

The solution data are generated from forecasting data and advertisementavailability data, and, as described above, is used to allocateadvertisements to impression events. An impression event is a requestfor an advertisement for a particular network resource. The forecastingdata specify forecasts of impression events during a future time period.For example, the forecasting data may indicate that network resource Aand network resource B will each request an advertisement during afuture time period.

The advertisement availability data are a known set of advertisementsavailable to be presented during a future time period. The advertisementavailability data can be determined from advertisement sales contractsfor the future time period, and/or projected from historicaladvertisement availability information. The advertisement availabilitydata can include advertiser requirements concerning advertisementplacements only on certain network resources, or to certain users ordemographics, etc. For example, a particular sports web site mayprovide, on average, 10,000 impressions a week, and an advertiser maypurchase 1,000 of the impressions over a one-week period.

FIG. 1 is an example graph representing solution data for allocatingadvertisements to forecasted impressions. For simplicity, only threeimpressions and advertisements are represented; however, the graph may,in practice, include thousands or even hundreds of thousands ofadvertisements and impressions. A1, A2, and A3 are advertisementsidentified from the advertisement availability data. I1, 12, and 13 areforecasted impressions identified from the forecasted impression data.

As noted above, the solution data include sets of solutions forallocating (associating) advertisements to the forecasted impressions. Asolution set is a collection of solutions for allocating advertisementsto forecasted impressions. More particularly, each solution setallocates one advertisement to one forecasted impression. Such anallocation requires that a forecasted impression is associated with onlyone advertisement and that the advertisement is allocated only to theforecasted impression. This relationship is referred to as anadvertisement and forecasted impression association. For example, thesolution data represented in FIG. 1 include a first solution setindicated by solid lines and a second solution set indicated by dashedlines. The first solution set includes the advertisement and forecastedimpression associations of (I1 and A1), (I2 and A2) and (I3 and A3), andthe second solution set includes the advertisement and forecastedimpression associations of (I1 and A2), (I2 and A3) and (I3 and A1).

The solution sets included in the solution data are disjoint solutionsets. As used herein, disjoint solution sets are solution sets that donot have any common advertisement and forecasted impressionassociations. For example, the first and second solution sets of graph100 are disjoint solution sets because they do not share any commonadvertisement and forecasted impression associations. Conversely, forexample, if a solution set includes the advertisement and forecastedimpression associations of (I1 and A1), (I2 and A2) and (I3 and A3) andanother solution set includes the advertisement and forecastedimpression associations of (I1 and A2), (I2 and A1) and (I3 and A3),then these solution sets are not disjoint solution sets because theyshare (I3 and A3).

Thus for a group of forecasted impressions and corresponding availableadvertisements, solution data having two solution sets includes twoadvertisements that can be allocated to each forecasted impression—anallocation of an advertisement from the first solution set and anallocation of an advertisement from the second solution set. Forexample, as shown in graph 100, advertisement A1 (from the firstsolution set) and advertisement A2 (from the second solution set) can beallocated to the forecasted impression I1.

Once an advertisement is allocated for an impression, all associationsfor that advertisement are removed from the solution sets. For example,if A1 is selected for I1 (from the first solution set), theadvertisement and forecasted impression associations A1 and I1 and A1and I3 are removed from the solution sets.

For exemplary purposes, assume the goal is to allocate an advertisementto only one forecasted impression and to maximize the number offorecasted impressions to which an advertisement is allocated. Selectingfrom among two advertisement allocation options from two disjointsolution sets as described above can, for example, increase the numberof forecasted impressions that are satisfied by the placement ofadvertisements, which can, in turn, provide an optimum advertisementallocation.

§1.0 Example Operating Environment

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example environment 200 in which anadvertisement allocation system 212 can be implemented. The onlineenvironment 200 can facilitate the identification and serving of webcontent, e.g., web pages, advertisements, etc., to users. A computernetwork 210, such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network(WAN), the Internet, or a combination thereof, connects advertisers 202,an advertisement management system 204, web sites 206, and clientdevices 208. The online environment 200 may include numerous advertisers202, web sites 206 and client devices 208.

One or more advertisers 202 can directly, or indirectly, enter,maintain, and track advertisement information in the advertisingmanagement system 204. The advertisements can be in the form ofgraphical advertisements, such as banner advertisements, text onlyadvertisements, image advertisements, audio advertisements, and videoadvertisements.

A web site 206 is a one or more web page resources 205 associated with adomain name, and each web site is hosted by one or more servers. Anexample web site is a collection of web pages formatted in hypertextmarkup language (HTML) that can contain text, graphic images, multimediacontent, and programming elements, such as scripts. Each web site 206 ismaintained by a publisher, e.g., an entity that manages and/or owns theweb site. For brevity, the term “publisher” will also be used to referto a web site 206 that is managed and/or owned by the publisher.

A client device 208 is an electronic device that is under the control ofa user and is capable of requesting and receiving data over the network210. A client device 208 typically includes a user application, such asa web browser, to facilitate the sending and receiving of data over thenetwork 210, such as requesting a resource (e.g., page content) from apublisher 206. Example client devices 208 include personal computers,mobile communication devices, and other devices that can send andreceive data over the network 210.

The system 204 can facilitate an auction to determine whichadvertisements are to be selected and provided to requesting publishers206. However, in some advertisement schemes, the advertisers 202contract with an advertisement delivery provider and/or publishers 206to set a predetermined number of impression events that theiradvertisements are to satisfy (e.g., a number of impressions theadvertisers desire for their advertisements). Often the advertisers 202also provide instruction as to which network resources or group orcategory of network resources their advertisements are to be placed,and/or to which users or user demographics their advertisements are tobe presented (“advertisement availability data”). The advertisementavailability data can be determined from advertisement sales contractsfor a future time period, and/or projected from historical advertisementavailability information. As some publishers 206 contract withadvertisers, the publishers may also have access to advertisementavailability data.

§2.0 Advertisement Allocation System

The advertisement management system 204 includes an advertisementallocation system 212. The advertisement allocation system 212 allocatesand provides advertisements in response to impression eventscorresponding to forecasted impressions based on forecasting data andadvertisement availability data. The advertisement allocation system 212includes a forecasting module 216, an association module 218 and anadvertisement selection module 220. The operation of the forecastingmodule 216, the association module 218, and the advertisement selectionmodule 220 is explained below with reference to FIG. 3.

§2.1 Exemplary Process for Allocating Advertisements

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example process for providingadvertisements in response to impression events based on forecastingdata and advertisement availability data.

Forecasting data defining forecasted impressions for a given time periodare determined (302). Forecasted impressions are forecasts of requestsfrom particular network resources for placement of advertisements onthose network resources. The forecasting data 226 can be derived frompast advertisement traffic for those network resources. In someimplementations, the forecasting data 226 can be provided to theforecasting module 216. In other implementations, the forecasting data226 can be generated by the forecasting module 216. A variety offorecasting methods and algorithms can be used to generate theforecasting data 226.

Advertisement availability data defining availabilities ofadvertisements to be provided during the time period are identified(304). The advertisement availability data can include information fromadvertisers regarding the number of advertisement impressions purchasedfor particular network resources, restrictions/requirements forplacement of advertisements on particular network resources,restrictions/requirements for presentation of the advertisements toparticular users or groups of users (e.g., based on user demographics),or other restrictions on how advertisements are to be placed orpresented.

However, publishers may also limit the types of advertisements that maybe placed on their network resources. Such publisher limitations canalso be reflected in the advertisement availability data. For example,the forecasting module 216 can receive and/or identify the advertisementavailability data from the advertising data store 222. The relationshipbetween advertisements and their availability (e.g., therestrictions/requirements associated with the advertisements or thepublishers) and the forecasted impressions can be represented, forexample, by a graph, as shown in FIG. 4, which is an example graph 400relating advertisements to forecasted impressions.

The forecasting data and advertisement availability data may be used bythe association module 218 to generate a graph 400 relating forecastedimpressions to advertisements that are allowed to be allocated to thoseforecasted impressions. For example, the allocations can be representedin the graph 400 as edges 402 between forecasted impressions (e.g., i₁,i₂, i₃ . . . i_(n)) and advertisements (e.g., a₁, a₂, a₃ . . . a_(n)).Each edge 402 between an advertisement and a forecasted impression is anallowable allocation based on, for example, advertiserrequirements/restrictions from the advertisement availability data. Forexample, advertisement a₃ shares edges with i_(i), i₂ and i₃, so a₃could be allocated to i₁, i₂ or i₃. Further, a₁ is only permitted to beallocated to i₁.

As explained above, a forecasted impression is a forecast of a requestfor a particular network resource for placement of an advertisement onthe network resource. It will often be the case that multiple placementsfor advertisements during a time period will be requested for thenetwork resource. For example, network resource A may be accessed byhundreds of different users during a given time period and for each userthe network resource may request placement of one or moreadvertisements. Multiple forecasted impressions for the same networkresource can be represented on graph 400 by duplicates of the relevantforecasted impression. For example, if forecasted impression i_(n) is aforecast of a request for network resource A and it is projected thatnetwork resource A will request the placement of ten advertisements,then forecasted impression i_(n) can be duplicated nine times (e.g.,i_(n+1), i_(n+2) . . . i_(n+9)) and those duplicates can be representedon graph 400 with the same edges to the same advertisements as i_(n).

From this graph of allowable allocations, a disjoint set of solutionscan be derived. Accordingly, solution data comprising a first solutionset for associating the advertisements with the forecasted impressionsand a second solution set for associating the advertisements with theforecasted impressions are generated (306). The first and secondsolution sets are disjoint solution sets, where the first and secondsolution sets do not have any common advertisement and forecastedimpression associations. In some implementations, the solution data canbe defined by a max-flow solution. However, other processes can be usedto generate the solution data.

The solution data are represented as a bipartite graph. For example, theassociation module 218 can generate solution data and store the solutiondata in the solution data store 224.

For each of a plurality of the forecasted impressions, a firstadvertisement associated with the forecasted impression from the firstsolution set and a second advertisement associated with the forecastedimpression from the second solution set are identified (308). Theforecasted impression is associated with two advertisements that can beallocated to the forecasted impression, each advertisement being fromone of the disjoint solution sets. For example, from graph 400,advertisements a₁, a₂ and a₃ are permitted by the advertisers to beallocated to i₁, however, the solution data will identify, at most, twoadvertisements that can be allocated to i₁ (e.g., a₁ from the firstsolution set and a₃ from the second solution set, as represented by thebold solid and dashed lines). The association module 218 can, forexample, identify a first advertisement associated with the forecastedimpression from the first solution set and a second advertisementassociated with the forecasted impression from second solution set.

The advertisement allocation system 212 generates forecasting data,identifies advertisement availability data, generates solution data, andidentifies first and second advertisements in an offline process priorto the time period relevant to the forecasting data. At run time, thesolution data can then be used to determine which advertisements (e.g.,the first or second advertisements) to provide in response to impressionevents as the impressions events occur.

Thus at run time, the first advertisement or second advertisement for anassociated forecasted impression is provided in response to animpression event corresponding to the associated forecasted impression(310). The determination of which advertisement to provide is discussedin detail below. For example, the advertisement selection module 220 canprovide the first advertisement or second advertisement for anassociated forecasted impression in response to an impression eventcorresponding to the associated forecasted impression.

§2.2 Exemplary Process for Generating Solution Data

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example process 500 for generatingsolution data. The process can be implemented by the association module218. The nodes, edges and values described below can all be defined andmanaged in a computer memory.

Each forecasted impression is represented by an impression node (502).For example, each forecasted impression identified from the forecastingdata are represented on a graph by an impression node (or any other datastructure or representation that organizes data). The association module218 can, for example, represent each forecasted impression (e.g.,i₁-i_(n) of FIG. 4) by an impression node.

Each advertisement is represented by an advertisement node (504). Forexample, each advertisement identified from the advertisementavailability data are represented on a graph by a advertisement node.The association module 218 can, for example, represent eachadvertisement (e.g., a₁-a_(n) of FIG. 4) by an advertisement node.

Edges between the advertisement nodes and the impression nodes aredefined based on the forecasting data and the advertisement availabilitydata (506). Each edge represents an allowable association between anadvertisement node and an impression node. The edges are defined inaccord with the advertiser and/or publisher requirements/restrictionsdiscussed above with reference to graph 400.

Depending on the forecasting data and advertisement availability data,not all impression nodes and/or advertisement nodes will have an edge.For example, based on advertiser restrictions/requirements, noadvertisements may be allowed to be allocated to a particular forecastedimpression. As such, the impression node representing that forecastedimpression will not have any edges.

In some implementations, each edge defined between an advertisement nodeand an impression node has a capacity of one. A capacity defines thenumber of distinct paths (e.g., solution paths) allowed by an edgeduring the solution data generation process. The association module 218can, for example, define edges between the advertisement nodes and theimpression nodes.

A source node is defined having an edge to each of the advertisementnodes (508). Each edge from the source node to an advertisement node hasa capacity of two. The association module 218 can, for example, define asource node.

A sink node is defined having an edge from each of the impression nodes(510). Each edge to the sink node from an impression node has a capacityof two. The association module 218 can, for example, define a sink node.

The capacities of the edges between the source node and theadvertisement nodes and the capacities between the impression nodes andthe sink node limit the number of solution sets that can be defined bythe solution data. For example, in some implementations, because therelevant capacities of the edges are two, there can be no more than twosolution sets. However, if the capacities of the edges between thesource/advertisement nodes and impression/sink nodes is k then there canbe up to k solution sets.

FIG. 6 is an example graph 600 depicting nodes and edges for use ingenerating the solution data. Graph 600 can be generated, for example,according to process 500. Graph 600 depicts impression nodes 604,advertisement nodes 606, sink node 608, source node 610, and edges 602.Graph 600 can be used to generate the solution data, for example, by useof a max flow algorithm (i.e., finding a max flow from the graph 600).In implementations utilizing a max flow algorithm, all edges 602 areassigned a down direction. A down direction is a direction from thesource node to an advertisement node, an advertisement node to animpression node, and an impression node to the sink node. Process 500and graph 600 represent a boosted-flow solution process/problem as thecapacities of the edges from the source node 610 to the advertisementnodes 606 are greater than one, and the capacities of the edges from theimpression nodes 604 to the sink node 608 are greater than one (thecapacities of the edges are “boosted” from a capacity of one).

Once the graph 600 is generated, a variety of max flow algorithms can beused to find the maximal flow f from the source s to the sink t, whichis the solution data. Example algorithms include the Ford-Fulkersonalgorithm, Edmonds-Karp algorithm, Dinitz blocking flow algorithm, andothers.

After the solution data has been generated, for example, by processingthe graph 600 according to a max flow algorithm, there will be acollection of solution paths defined by the solution data along theedges between the advertisement nodes and the impression nodes. Eachsolution path includes one edge between an advertisement node and animpression node (an entire solution path starts at the source node andends at the sink node). This collection of edges is a proper subset ofall of the edges depicted in graph 600 (and defined by process 500). Thesubset of edges represents both the first and second solutions sets.

In some implementations, a boosted flow solution process/problem (e.g.,with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6) may be replaced by a simple flowsolution process/problem—all edge capacities in the graph (e.g., graph600) are one. Generally described, for such implementations, solutionsets that are disjoint can be generated by finding a first solution setassociating advertisement nodes and impression nodes, removing the edgesbetween the associated advertisement nodes and impression nodescomprising the first solution set, resolving the simple flowprocess/problem to find a second solution set, removing the edgescomprising the second solution set, and so on.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example process 700 for identifying thefirst and second solution sets. Process 700, for example, can identifywhich edges in the subset defined by the solution data (e.g.,advertisement and forecasted impression associations) belong to whichsolution sets (i.e., the first and second solution sets). Process 700can identify first and second solution sets from, for example, solutiondata generated according to process 500. In some implementations,process 700 assigns first or second edge indicators to each edge in thesubset. The first edge indicators collectively define the first solutionset and the second edge indicators collectively define the secondsolution set. Based on the edge indicators a forecasted impression canbe associated with two advertisements, each advertisement being oneadvertisement from each disjoint solution set.

The subset of edges include paths and cycles which can be used toidentify edges from each solution set. A cycle is a collection of edgesthat define a continuous route that starts and ends at the same node(e.g., impression node or advertisement node). A path is a collection ofedges that define a continuous route between a starting node and anending node, where the starting node and ending node are differentnodes.

FIGS. 8A-8D are graphs depicting example cycles and paths. Process 700can be explained in terms of the cycles and paths of graphs 800, 820,840, and 860 (e.g., the cycles and paths are comprised of the subset ofedges defined by the solution data). Specifically, graph 800 depicts anodd-length path, graph 820 depicts a cycle, graph 840 depicts aneven-length path starting at an impression node, and graph 860 depictsan even-length path starting at an advertisement node.

First and second edge indicators are alternatingly assigned to adjoiningedges in each cycle (702). For example, graph 820 shows that the edgebetween a₄ and i₄ is assigned a first edge indicator (e.g., “B”), theedge between i₄ and a₅ is assigned a second edge indicator (e.g., “R”),and the edge between a₅ and i₅ is assigned the first edge indicator.This alternating assignment of edge indicators is carried out until alledges in the cycle have been assigned an edge indicator. The associationmodule 218 can, for example, alternatingly assign first and second edgeindicators to adjoining edges in each cycle.

For each path defined by an odd number of edges, first and second edgeindicators are alternatingly assigned to adjoining edges in the path(704). The edge indicators are assigned so that more first edgeindicators are assigned than second edge indicators, e.g., the firstedge is always assigned first. For example, graph 800 shows that theedge between i₁ and a₁ is assigned a first edge indicator (e.g., “B”),the edge between a₁ and i₂ is assigned a second edge indicator (e.g.,“R”), and the edge between i₂ and a₂ is assigned the first edgeindicator. This alternating assignment of edge indicators is carried outuntil all edges in the path have been assigned and edge indicator. Theassociation module 218 can, for example, alternatingly assign first andsecond edge indicators to adjoining edges in the path.

For each path starting and ending on advertisement nodes and defined byan even number of edges, first and second edge indicators arealternatingly assigned to adjoining edges in the path (706). Forexample, graph 860 shows that the edge between a₁₀ and i₁₁ is assigned asecond edge indicator (e.g., “R”), the edge between i₁₁ and a₁₁ isassigned a first edge indicator (e.g., “B”), and the edge between a₁₁and i₁₂ is assigned the second edge indicator. This alternatingassignment of edge indicators is carried out until all edges in the pathhave been assigned an edge indicator. The association module 218 can,for example, alternatingly assign first and second edge indicators toadjoining edges in the path.

For each path starting and ending on impression nodes and defined by aneven number of edges, first indicators are assigned to the first twoadjoining edges from the starting node and then first and second edgeindicators are alternatingly assigned starting from the last of thefirst two adjoining edges (708). For example, graph 840 shows that theedge between i₇ and a₇ is assigned a first edge indicator (e.g., “B”),the edge between a₇ and i₈ is assigned the first edge indicator (thefirst two adjoining edges), and the edge between i₈ and a₈ (the edgeafter the last of the first two adjoining edges) is assigned the secondedge indicator (e.g., “R”). This assignment of edge indicators iscarried out until all edges in the path have been assigned an edgeindicator. The association module 218 can, for example, assign firstindicators to a first two adjoining edges from the starting node andalternatingly assign second and first edge indicators starting from(i.e., after) a last of the first two adjoining edges.

Once all of the edges have been assigned an edge indicator, the firstand second solution sets can be identified. The first solution setincludes advertisement and forecasted impression associations defined bythe advertising nodes and the impression nodes connected by edgesassigned with first edge indicators (e.g., “B”). The second solution setincludes advertisement and forecasted impression associations defined bythe advertising nodes and the impression nodes connected by edgesassigned with second edge indicators (e.g., “R”).

As described above, some impression nodes may not have any edges in thesubset, some may have only one edge in the subset assigned with a firstindicator, or some may have two edges in the subset, one assigned with afirst indicator and one assigned with a second indicator. Thus not allforecasted impressions have two advertisements allocated to them. Forexample, in FIG. 8A the forecasted impression represented by impressionnode i₁ only has one advertisement allocated to it, i.e., theadvertisement represented by advertisement node a₁. If the advertisementrepresented by a₁ has been provided in response to an impression eventcorresponding to i₂ then an advertisement may not be provided inresponse to an impression event corresponding to forecasted impressioni₁.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, a process for identifying (decomposing)from solution data two solution sets that are disjoint has beendescribed. However, as described above, solution data may have ksolution sets—as determined by particular edge capacities. The processesof repeatedly finding flow solutions as described above can also be usedto find k solution sets. Alternatively, to decompose such solution datato k solution sets that are disjoint, edge-coloring algorithms ofbipartite graphs such as, for example, the Konig-Hall algorithm or theHoperoft-Cole algorithm can be used. In such coloring algorithms, it isimportant to choose larger set of edges for the solutions with higherpriority.

As, in some implementations, an advertisement can be associated with twoforecasted impressions, and a forecasted impression can be associatedwith two advertisements, it is possible for an impression eventcorresponding to a first forecasted impression that one of the twoadvertisements associated with the first forecasted impression may havebeen previously provided in response to an impression eventcorresponding to a second forecasted impression. In such a scenario, theother of the two advertisements associated with the first forecastedimpression can be provided in response to the impression event. Process900 of FIG. 9 provides one example method for determining whichadvertisements to provide.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an example process 900 for providingadvertisements in response to an impression event. After the solutiondata has been generated, process 900 can leverage the solution data todetermine which advertisements should be allocated to impression eventsas the impressions events occur. The process 900 can be implemented inthe advertisement selection module 220.

For an impression event corresponding to a forecasted impression, afirst advertisement from a first advertisement and forecasted impressionassociation for the forecasted impression is provided if the firstadvertisement has not previously been provided for another forecastedimpression (902). For a particular impression node corresponding to areceived impression event, a first advertisement corresponding to anadvertisement node with an edge (assigned a first edge indicator) to theimpression node is selected and provided in response to the impressionevent so long as the first advertisement has not already been provided.The advertisement selection module 220 can, for example, provide thefirst advertisement.

The second advertisement from a second advertisement and forecastedimpression association for the forecasted impression is provided if thefirst advertisement has previously been provided (904). For a particularimpression node corresponding to a received impression event, a secondadvertisement corresponding to an advertisement node with an edge(assigned a second edge indicator) to the impression node is selectedand provided in response to the impression event if the firstadvertisement has already been provided. For example, the advertisementselection module 220 can provide the second advertisement.

Thus when an impression event is received, either the firstadvertisement from a corresponding advertisement and forecastedimpression association in the first solution set or second advertisementfrom a corresponding advertisement and forecasted impression associationin the second solution set can be provided in response. Advantageously,the first solution set is disjoint to the second solution set. Becausethe first and second advertisements are from disjoint solution sets, theallocations for advertisements to forecasted impressions do not overlapbetween the two solution sets. As such, the solution data, generated inan offline process, can be used to guide the selection of advertisementsfor particular impression events during an online process.

If more than two solution sets are generated (e.g., by any of theprocesses described above), then the group of advertisements allocatedto a forecasted impression corresponding to a received impression eventcan be provided according to some predetermined order. For example,three disjoint solutions sets may be defined by the solution data sothat each forecasted impression is associated with an advertisement fromeach of the three sets (e.g., three advertisements are allocated to theforecasted impression). Three disjoint solutions may be generated by,for example, setting the capacities of the edges between thesource/advertisement nodes and impression/sink nodes to three. Thus ifan impression event corresponding to a forecasted impression is receivedthen the first of the associated advertisements can be provided if thefirst advertisement has not previously been provided. If the firstadvertisement has already been provided then the second advertisementcan be provided if it has not been previously provided. If the secondadvertisement has already been provided then the third advertisement canbe provided if it has not been previously provided, and so on.

§3.0 Example Processing System

FIG. 10 is block diagram of an example computer processing system 1000that can be used to allocate and provide advertisements in response toimpression events corresponding to forecasted impressions based onforecasting data and advertisement availability data. The system 1000can be used to realize a variety of different types of computer devices,such as the client devices 208 or server and computer devices on whichthe advertising system 204 and the advertisement allocation system 212are implemented.

The system 1000 includes a processor 1010, a memory 1020, a storagedevice 1030, and an input/output device 1040. Each of the components1010, 1020, 1030, and 1040 can, for example, be interconnected using asystem bus 1080. The processor 1010 is capable of processinginstructions for execution within the system 1000. In oneimplementation, the processor 1010 is a single-threaded processor. Inanother implementation, the processor 1010 is a multi-threadedprocessor. The processor 1010 is capable of processing instructionsstored in the memory 1020 or on the storage device 1030.

The memory 1020 stores information within the system 1000. In oneimplementation, the memory 1020 is a computer-readable medium. In oneimplementation, the memory 1020 is a volatile memory unit. In anotherimplementation, the memory 1020 is a non-volatile memory unit.

The storage device 1030 is capable of providing mass storage for thesystem 1000. In one implementation, the storage device 1030 is acomputer-readable medium. In various different implementations, thestorage device 1030 can, for example, include a hard disk device, anoptical disk device, or some other large capacity storage device.

The input/output device 1040 provides input/output operations for thesystem 1000. In one implementation, the input/output device 1040 caninclude one or more of a network interface devices, e.g., an Ethernetcard, a serial communication device, e.g., and RS-232 port, and/or awireless interface device, e.g., an 802.11 card. In anotherimplementation, the input/output device can include driver devicesconfigured to receive input data and send output data to otherinput/output devices, e.g., keyboard, printer and display devices 1060.Other implementations, however, can also be used, such as mobilecomputing devices, mobile communication devices, etc.

Although an example processing system has been described in FIG. 10,embodiments of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification can be implemented in other digitalelectronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware,including the structures disclosed in this specification and theirstructural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them.Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can beimplemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or moremodules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer readablemedium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processingapparatus. The computer readable medium can be a machine readablestorage device, a machine readable storage substrate, a memory device,or a combination of one or more of them.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, or declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astand alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unitsuitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does notnecessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can bestored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g.,one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a singlefile dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinatedfiles (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, orportions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed onone computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site ordistributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communicationnetwork.

Additionally, the logic flows and structure block diagrams described inthis patent document, which describe particular methods and/orcorresponding acts in support of steps and corresponding functions insupport of disclosed structural means, may also be utilized to implementcorresponding software structures and algorithms, and equivalentsthereof. The processes and logic flows described in this specificationcan be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one ormore computer programs to perform functions by operating on input dataand generating output.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices.

Computer readable media suitable for storing computer programinstructions and data include all forms of non volatile memory, mediaand memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memorydevices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks,e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; andCD ROM and DVD ROM disks. The processor and the memory can besupplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinvention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures that may be specific to particular embodiments of particularinventions. Certain features that are described in this specification inthe context of separate embodiments can also be implemented incombination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features thatare described in the context of a single embodiment can also beimplemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems cangenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in thisspecification have been described. Other embodiments are within thescope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in theclaims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirableresults. As one example, the processes depicted in the accompanyingFigures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, orsequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certainimplementations, multitasking and parallel processing may beadvantageous.

This written description sets forth the best mode of the invention andprovides examples to describe the invention and to enable a person ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. This writtendescription does not limit the invention to the precise terms set forth.Thus, while the invention has been described in detail with reference tothe examples set forth above, those of ordinary skill in the art mayeffect alterations, modifications and variations to the examples withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: identifying forecastingdata defining forecasted impressions for a given time period;identifying advertisement availability data defining availabilities ofadvertisements to be provided during the time period; generating by acomputer system solution data comprising a first solution set forassociating the advertisements with the forecasted impressions and asecond solution set for associating the advertisements with theforecasted impressions, the first and second solution sets beingdisjoint solution sets where the first and second solution sets do nothave any common advertisement and forecasted impression associations;for each of a plurality of the forecasted impressions, identifying bythe computer system a first advertisement associated with the forecastedimpression from the first solution set and a second advertisementassociated with the forecasted impression from the second solution set;and providing the first advertisement or second advertisement for anassociated forecasted impression in response to an impression eventcorresponding to the associated forecasted impression.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein generating solution data comprises generating amax-flow solution defining the solution data.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein generating solution data comprises: representing each forecastedimpression by an impression node; representing each advertisement by anadvertisement node; defining edges between the advertisement nodes andthe impression nodes based on the forecasting data and the advertisementavailability data, each edge between an advertisement node and animpression node having a capacity of one; defining a source node havingan edge to each of the advertisement nodes, each edge from the sourcenode to an advertisement node having a capacity of two; and defining asink node having an edge from each of the impression nodes, each edge tothe sink node from an impression node having a capacity of two.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein generating the solution data by use of amax-flow solution process comprises identifying a proper subset of theedges defined between the advertisement nodes and the impression nodes.5. The method of claim 4, comprising: assigning first and second edgeindicators to the subset of the edges, the first edge indicatorscollectively defining the first solution set and the second edgeindicators collectively defining the second solution set.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein: the subset of the edges comprises paths and cycles,a cycle being a collection of edges defining a continuous route thatstarts and ends at a same node, and a path being a collection of edgesdefining a continuous route between a starting node and ending where thestarting node and ending node are different nodes; and assigning firstand second edge indicators to the subset of the edges comprises:alternatingly assigning first and second edge indicators to adjoiningedges in each cycle; for each path defined by an odd number of edges,alternatingly assigning first and second edge indicators to adjoiningedges in the path, wherein more first indicators are assigned thansecond indicators; for each path starting and ending on advertisementnodes and defined by an even number of edges, alternatingly assigningfirst and second edge indicators to adjoining edges in the path; and foreach path starting and ending on impression nodes and defined by an evennumber of edges: assigning first indicators to a first two adjoiningedges from the starting node; and then alternatingly assigning secondand first edge indicators starting from a last of the first twoadjoining edges.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the firstadvertisement or second advertisement for an associated forecastedimpression in response to an impression event corresponding to theforecasted impression comprises: providing the first advertisement ifthe first advertisement has not previously been provided; and providingthe second advertisement if the first advertisement has previously beenprovided.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the solution data comprise abipartite graph.
 9. A system, comprising: a forecasting moduleconfigured to: identify forecasting data defining forecasted impressionsfor a given time period; identify advertisement availability datadefining availabilities of advertisements to be provided during the timeperiod; an association module configured to: generate solution datacomprising a first solution set for associating the advertisements withthe forecasted impressions and a second solution set for associating theadvertisements with the forecasted impressions, the first and secondsolution sets being disjoint solution sets where the first and secondsolution sets do not have any common advertisement and forecastedimpression associations; for each of a plurality of the forecastedimpressions, identify a first advertisement associated with theforecasted impression from the first solution set and a secondadvertisement associated with the forecasted impression from the secondsolution set; and an advertisement selection module configured toprovide the first advertisement or second advertisement for anassociated forecasted impression in response to an impression eventcorresponding to the associated forecasted impression.
 10. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the association module is configured to generate amax-flow solution defining the solution data.
 11. The system of claim10, wherein the association module is configured to: represent eachforecasted impression by an impression node; represent eachadvertisement by an advertisement node; define edges between theadvertisement nodes and the impression nodes based on the forecastingdata and the advertisement availability data, each edge between anadvertisement node and an impression node having a capacity of one;define a source node having an edge to each of the advertisement nodes,each edge from the source node to an advertisement node having acapacity of two; and define a sink node having an edge from each of theimpression nodes, each edge to the sink node from an impression nodehaving a capacity of two.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein theassociation module is configured to identify a proper subset of theedges defined between the advertisement nodes and the impression nodes.13. The system of claim 12, wherein the association module is configuredto assign first and second edge indicators to the subset of the edges,the first edge indicators collectively defining the first solution setand the second edge indicators collectively defining the second solutionset.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein: the subset of the edgescomprises paths and cycles, a cycle being a collection of edges defininga continuous route that starts and ends at a same node, and a path beinga collection of edges defining a continuous route between a startingnode and ending where the starting node and ending node are differentnodes; and the association module is configured to: alternatinglyassigning first and second edge indicators to adjoining edges in eachcycle; for each path defined by an odd number of edges, alternatinglyassign first and second edge indicators to adjoining edges in the path,wherein more first indicators are assigned than second indicators; foreach path starting and ending on advertisement nodes and defined by aneven number of edges, alternatingly assign first and second edgeindicators to adjoining edges in the path; and for each path startingand ending on impression nodes and defined by an even number of edges:assign first indicators to a first two adjoining edges from the startingnode; and then alternatingly assign second and first edge indicatorsstarting from a last of the first two adjoining edges.
 15. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the advertisement selection module is configured to:provide the first advertisement if the first advertisement has notpreviously been provided; and provide the second advertisement if thefirst advertisement has previously been provided.
 16. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the solution data comprise a bipartite graph.
 17. Oneor more computer readable media storing instructions executable by aprocessing system, and upon such execution cause the processing systemto perform operations comprising: identifying forecasting data definingforecasted impressions for a given time period; identifyingadvertisement availability data defining availabilities ofadvertisements to be provided during the time period; generating by acomputer system solution data comprising a first solution set forassociating the advertisements with the forecasted impressions and asecond solution set for associating the advertisements with theforecasted impressions, the first and second solution sets beingdisjoint solution sets where the first and second solution sets do nothave any common advertisement and forecasted impression associations;for each of a plurality of the forecasted impressions, identifying bythe computer system a first advertisement associated with the forecastedimpression from the first solution set and a second advertisementassociated with the forecasted impression from the second solution set;and providing the first advertisement or second advertisement for anassociated forecasted impression in response to an impression eventcorresponding to the associated forecasted impression.
 18. The computerreadable media of claim 17, wherein generating solution data comprises:representing each forecasted impression by an impression node;representing each advertisement by an advertisement node; defining edgesbetween the advertisement nodes and the impression nodes based on theforecasting data and the advertisement availability data, each edgebetween an advertisement node and an impression node having a capacityof one; defining a source node having an edge to each of theadvertisement nodes, each edge from the source node to an advertisementnode having a capacity of two; and defining a sink node having an edgefrom each of the impression nodes, each edge to the sink node from animpression node having a capacity of two.
 19. The computer readablemedia of claim 18, wherein generating the solution data comprisesidentifying a proper subset of the edges defined between theadvertisement nodes and the impression nodes.
 20. The computer readablemedia of claim 19, comprising: assigning first and second edgeindicators to the subset of the edges, the first edge indicatorscollectively defining the first solution set and the second edgeindicators collectively defining the second solution set.
 21. Thecomputer readable media of claim 17, comprising: representing eachforecasted impression by an impression node; representing eachadvertisement by an advertisement node; defining edges between theadvertisement nodes and the impression nodes based on the forecastingdata and the advertisement availability data, each edge between anadvertisement node and an impression node having a capacity of one;defining a source node having an edge to each of the advertisementnodes, each edge from the source node to an advertisement node having acapacity of one; and defining a sink node having an edge from each ofthe impression nodes, each edge to the sink node from an impression nodehaving a capacity of one.
 22. The computer readable media of claim 21,wherein generating the solution data comprises iteratively identifyingsolution sets associating advertisement nodes and impression nodes,wherein each of the solution sets is disjoint to the other solutionsets; and after each solution set has been identified, removing theedges between the associated advertisements and forecasted impressionscomprising the solution set.